Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Jane Eames (926)

06/11/1858 –21/08/1922

A laundress who married labourer Joseph Eames and became mother of nine children

Relatives

Joseph Eames (926) — husband

Sidney William Eames — other

• Melanie Hilton

Plot 926 Jane Eames (née Cripps) (1858-1922)

Jane was born 6 November 1858 in Hemel Hempstead to Adam Cripps, maltster and his wife Elizabeth (née Charge). She was baptised at  St Mary’s Hemel Hempstead on July 311859.

In 1861 the family were living in Popes Lane, Hemel. Jane, aged two, had a four year-old brother William and Alfred had just been born. Adam was a straw plait dealer, a middle-man between the numerous straw plaiters in the area and the hat manufacturers in Luton and Dunstable.

Life was to become hard for the family when the next year Adam was sentenced to twelve months hard labour for receiving stolen flour from Bury Mill End mill. From the newspaper reports of the trial it seems that Elizabeth made life exceedingly difficult for the prosecution when questioned on the stand!

In 1871 Elizabeth was living with her father, widowed labourer Joseph Charge, and her unmarried sister in Austin’s Yard in Hemel. With Elizabeth were her five children William, Jane, Alfred, Eli and Adam, who was only two. Money must have been short, although Elizabeth and Jane (aged 12) were straw plaiters and William was employed at John Dickinson’s envelope department.

The reason they were not with Adam was because he was in HM Prison Portsea, sentenced to seven years hard labour in June 1868, this time for receiving stolen corn. His occupation given as straw plait dealer.

Eventually Adam was released 7 months early on licence because of good behaviour, returning to his family in November 1873.

The family were back in Popes Lane by the time of the 1871 census. Adam was working as a cow keeper, Jane and her mother were laundresses, Alfred was still with John Dickinson’s and Eliza was a “milk carrier”. The younger children were still at school.

It may have been a relief to escape from this crowded household when Jane married Joseph Eames, a labourer and sometime shoemaker, on 14 May 1882 in Hemel Hempstead church.

They were to have 9 children in all, 3 of whom had died by 1911.

The family moved to Berkhamsted by 1895 and in 1901 were living in Highfield Road where Jane died 21 August 1922, aged 62.

Joseph died in 1928 and was buried with her here.

Joseph Eames (926)

1853 –24/02/1928

A shoemaker and sometime labourer

Relatives

Jane Eames (926) — wife

Mollie Patricia Eames — other

Sidney William Eames — other

• Melanie Hilton

Plot 926 Joseph Eames (1853-1928)

Joseph was born in 1853 in Bourne End to William Eames, a railway platelayer, and his wife Jemima.

In the 1861 census the family was recorded as living in Bourne End Lane. William had died and widowed Jemima was a straw plaiter, as was her eldest daughter Ann. This was a common occupation for women and girls: the plait was sold to dealers acting for the hat manufacturers of Luton and Dunstable. Both Joseph and his sister Sarah were attending school. By 1871 Joseph was an agricultural labourer, living at home with mother and sisters. His occupation was going to change frequently throughout his life.

When Joseph married Jane Cripps on 14 May 1882 in Hemel Hempstead church his occupation was given as “shoemaker”. Their daughter Sarah Jane was born in 1883 in Hemel Hempstead, but son Alfred was born in Fenny Stratford in 1885. Whatever the reason for that, Lilian was born in Hemel in 1889.

By 1891 the family were living at 4, Moor Cottages, Boxmoor and Joseph was working as a general labourer. Daisy (1892) was born there but by 1895 when William was born they had moved to Berkhamsted where Edith was born in 1897.

In 1901 they lived at 11, Highfield Road, Berkhamsted. They were still there in 1911, but Joseph gave his occupation as boot maker.

In 1921 Joseph, by then 68, gave his occupations as “Hedge cutter out of work”. Edith was sewing machinist at Corby Palmer Stewart, ladies’ tailors in Lower King’s Road.

Jane died in 1922 and Joseph passed away on 24 February 1928 at Highfield Road aged 74. He lies here with Jane.

Their grandchildren, Mollie and Sydney, children of William, also lie in this cemetery.